Terms like Wearable Technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) have forced itself into the mainstream. In this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, IoT was all the rage. Connected toothbrushes, home audio systems and thermostats were showcased. Early adopters have embraced products like Google Glass, and there is even now a backlash in some places against the use of Google Glass.

As I think about uses for such devices, particularly a product like Google Glass or a Samsung smart watch, it makes me think of a possible use case from my own experience, and whether we’d really want such a use case.

A few years back, I had a job that I commuted to in San Francisco. Living about 15 miles away, I would take public transportation on the Caltrain to the last stop in SF and then walk about 25 minutes one way to my office. Typically taking the same train each day at the same time, I would always be making my walk to the office from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM. I would take the same route each day and would pass hundreds of pedestrian commuters walking the other direction. (more…)